1. Technical Field
A modular flavor dispenser is disclosed for dispensing one or more flavors according to a formula request stored in a controller, either located at the flavor dispenser, at the food or beverage machine, in a remote location or the request may be the result of the cooperation of two controllers. Separate controllers can be provided at both the modular flavor dispenser and the food or beverage machine with an interface or coordinator disposed therebetween. The controller(s) is linked to one or more motor control boards which, in turn, are linked to one or more pump modules for delivering the flavors. The pumps can share control boards. That is, two pumps can be assigned to a single control board. The pump modules, which include the circuitry or motor control board, pump and flavor reservoirs as well as motors for driving the pump, are all mounted in a modular frame which may be detachably connected to the food or beverage machine, or disposed remotely from the food preparation area. For modular flavor dispensers disposed in remote locations, an intermediate pumping station may be provided for delivering the flavors to the food or beverage machine at the correct pressure or flow rate. The disclosed dispenser is particularly useful for the accurate pumping and dispensing of chocolate syrup.
2. Description of the Related Art
Systems for dispensing a plurality of different fluids into a container have been known and used for many years. For example, systems for dispensing paint based materials and colorants into a paint container are known. These paint systems may use twenty or more different colorants to formulate a paint mixture. Each colorant is contained in a separate canister or package and may include its own dispensing pump, e.g., see U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,298, which is commonly assigned with the present application. The colorants and the respective pumps may be disposed on a turntable or along one or more horizontal rows. In a turntable system, the turntable is rotated so that the colorant to be dispensed is moved to a position above the container being filled. In designs using one or more horizontal rows, the container may be moved laterally to the appropriate colorant/pump.
Some currently available paint colorant dispensers utilize nutating pumps and a computer control system to control the nutating pumps. Nutating pumps have a piston which is positioned inside of a housing having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. The piston simultaneously slides axially and rotates inside the housing. The dispense stroke or cycle can be broken down into a number of discreet steps or segments for extremely accurate volumetric dispenses. For example, a minimum dispense can be as little as 1/256 of a fluid ounce as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,749,402, 6,540,486 and 6,398,515, all commonly assigned with the present application. These patents all disclose improved nutating pump technologies that are applicable to paint colorant dispensing as well as the dispensing of hair dyes, other cosmetics applications and other fluids.
Systems for dispensing large varieties of different fluids are not limited to paints, but also include systems for dispensing pharmaceutical products, hair dye formulas, cosmetics of all kinds, nail polish, food recipes, etc. Smaller systems for use in preparing products at a point of sale may use a stationary manifold through which pluralities of nozzles extend. Each fluid to be dispensed is then pumped through its individual nozzle. Depending upon the size of the container and the quantity of the fluids to be dispensed, manifolds must be designed in a space efficient manner so that a single manifold can accommodate twenty or more different nozzles. The nozzles are connected to the various ingredients by flexible hoses and the ingredients are contained in stationary canisters or containers.
In multiple fluid dispensing applications for the food and beverage industries, both precision and speed are essential. Precision is essential as many recipes require the addition of precise amounts of ingredients. Speed is of paramount importance, especially in fast food and coffee retail establishments.
In a typical coffee shop, automated dispensers for coffee flavors are generally not available. Instead, only steam, steamed milk, milk or cream are available and the “barista” must add flavors by hand pouring or use of hand pumps. This practice leads to inconsistencies with different operators. Hand pumping or pouring can also lead to spills which are difficult and/or time consuming to clean. Furthermore, the addition of the flavors is in a secondary step, which increases the process time to make a cup of flavored/gourmet coffee, much to the chagrin the ever increasingly impatient consumer. Thus, currently available gourmet coffee machines cannot control pumping of a variety of flavor solutions. This creates difficulties when different fluids are required from different pumping stations or containers.
The accurate automatic dispensing of chocolate materials is particularly problematic because of its viscosity and peculiar fluid properties of chocolate syrup. Chocolate syrup typically includes unsweetened cocoa powder, corn syrup, sugar, flavors such as vanilla extract and water, each of which have very different physical properties. As a result, chocolate syrup is an emulsion with a relatively high viscosity (depending upon the particular product) but is relatively incompressible. Therefore, dispensing chocolate syrup accurately is extremely difficult and if dispensed inaccurately, the beverage may be rejected by the consumer and/or chocolate may be wasted. Chocolate is an expensive ingredient and wasted chocolate adversely affects profit margins. Accordingly, dispensing chocolate syrup in the gourmet coffee application presents a very different set of problems than dispensing other flavors such as vanilla, hazelnut, caramel or cinnamon flavors.
Further, in some retail environments, floor space or counter space is at a premium. Therefore, there is a need for a flavor module that can be disposed remotely, such as in a different room or in a basement of a coffee shop or restaurant without compromising the accuracy of the flavoring dispensing.
In short, currently available fluid dispensing systems are not easy to modify or adapt to different uses or for dispensing different materials used in food and beverage applications. What is needed is an improved multiple fluid dispensing whereby the pumps, reservoirs containing the fluids to be dispensed, motors and manifolds may be easily changed or replaced so that flavor modules may be adapted for changing consumer demands or adapted for different food/beverage applications.
There is also a need for an improved multiple flavoring dispensing system or flavoring module that is fast, efficient, and that may be easily adapted or modified for different food and beverage applications. An improved means for accurately dispensing chocolate syrup is also needed that addresses the complexities of pumping this particular fluid, but which also accurately pumps conventional water based syrups. Further, there is also a need for an improved flavoring dispensing system that may be disposed remotely from the food or beverage machine.